Saturday, March 1, 2014

25 Tips to Wake Up Early to Workout

I've been getting back on that early morning workout train. The 5am train. You know the one. It comes barreling down the tracks, waking you up out of a deep sleep. Your alarm clock is like an air horn at an intersection. Morning workouts can be like jumping on a moving train, but once you are rolling steadily on those tracks, it's well worth the effort.

(Like my train analogy? Thanks.)

I've had varying success with early morning exercise because it can just be so darn hard! A little more than a year ago I was doing it consistently and loving every minute of my early bird workouts. But then for one reason or another I fell out of the habit of getting up early and have been struggling for quite sometime to get back to it. Lately I've been working hard again at getting up early again to work out.

I am successful when I come to terms that it is a decision I make, just like any other. Decide to do it and don't back down. All that I know is that when I get it done early I feel so great and my day is off to a positive start.

Here are my top 25 tips to wake up early to work out.

1. Go to bed early.
2. Set your alarm clock in another room so you have to get up to turn it off.
3. Meet a friend.
4. Find an accountability partner online.
5. Drink a full bottle of water as soon as you wake up.
6. Listen to your favorite upbeat music as you get ready.
7. Sleep in your workout clothes.
8. Tell your friends and family that you are going to do it.
9. Eat something light in the morning.
10. Turn your brain on autopilot. Don't think about it, just do it.
11. Remind yourself how bad-ass you are for getting up when everyone else is sleeping.
12. Be thankful for the "me" time in the quiet morning hours.
13. Think about how happy you will be when you are done exercising for the day.
14. Remember that doing it first thing in the morning leaves less chance of getting too busy later in the day.
15. Do it for the endorphins. Start your day out feeling great.
16. Ignore any negative thoughts and keep moving forward.
17. Make it routine. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Fight through those first few weeks while you are building the habit.
18. Plan your workouts the night before. Write it down.
19. Pretend the snooze button doesn't exist. Nine extra minutes never made anyone feel more rested.
20. Make a commitment to yourself and follow through.
21. Do something active in the mornings that you consider really fun!
22. Remember that no matter how tired you feel when you get out of bed, 99% of the time you will feel better once you get to the gym. 100% of the time, when it is over, you'll be glad you did it.
23. That feeling you get after completing a morning workout is better than the feeling you get from sleeping an extra hour.
24. Plan ahead. Be prepared to roll out of bed and out the door with not much prep to be done in the morning.
25. Make it non-negotiable, like going to work or your brushing your teeth.

(Bonus tip: Print out this list and read it as soon as you wake up.)

I saw this quote on Instagram from my blogger friend Clarinda at Enjoying the Course and I just loved it.

9 comments:

I completely agree with you! I always feel awesome when I get up while everyone is sleeping and get my workout done before anyone gets up. I've had me time, got my workout done and can spend the rest of the day focusing on my work, family, home, etc.

I do prefer early morning workouts as opposed to evening. However, I refuse to set an alarm. Since I suffer from insomnia, I take my sleep where I can get it. However, I do tend to get more morning workouts in than evening.

Wake up early in the morning is very essential for us to do exercise but waking up early in the morning becomes very tough frequently for us and that's why we are not able to do effective exercise in the middle of morning fresh air. Here provided tips to wake up early in the morning is very nice. Thanks